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FrontBridge Technologies Exposes April's Most Abused Spam Subject Headlines
[May 05, 2004]

FrontBridge Technologies Exposes April's Most Abused Spam Subject Headlines

MARINA DEL REY, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- May 5, 2004 -- Phishing Scams Continue to Rise Dramatically Posing Extreme Security Risks

Unprotected enterprise e-mail boxes were choked last month by unsolicited messages using the following seemingly innocuous subject headlines, according to data released by FrontBridge Technologies, the leading provider of enterprise message management services. An analysis of more than 1.5 billion e-mails processed by FrontBridge for its 1,500 enterprise customers in the month of April, revealed that spammers are using these top ten subject headlines to prey on unsuspecting consumers:



Top Ten Spam Headlines for April 2004

1. Here's the tech stock analysis I told you about


2. Your equity news update

3. Discover natural beauty care

4. Fill up on gas and pay nothing

5. Guaranteed offer ending

6. Get a refinancing quote in 60 seconds

7. Citibank security update

8. Free Dog Treats

9. Work with EBay

10. Take a moment to protect yourself

FrontBridge's spam analysis team uncovered these most popular subject lines and more by investigating millions of e-mails daily. The team then defines filtering rules to stop spam at the enterprise perimeter. In April, FrontBridge flagged more than 1.2 billion messages -- more than 80 percent of e-mail traffic -- as spam.

More Spammers Going "Phishing"

Of most concern, subject headers such as 'Citibank security update' and 'Take a moment to protect yourself' represent a rise in phishing scams. Consumers are directed to update personal information on a Web site that is often a perfect replica of a legitimate site. Information entered into these false sites is sent to criminals worldwide engaging in identity theft and credit fraud.

"We urge users of unprotected e-mail systems to steer clear of messages with these deceptive headlines as they can introduce viruses and also expose users to the growing number of phishing scams related to identity theft," said Steve Jillings, president and CEO of FrontBridge Technologies, Inc. "As spam messages become trickier to distinguish from legitimate e-mail, it is crucial for IT managers to deploy a managed e-mail service that has a proven track record for stopping these deceptive messages from entering the enterprise."

Louisville Slugger Takes a Bite Out of Spam

Customers protected by FrontBridge's solution were immune to a majority of these spam e-mails. The company's TrueProtect(TM) Message Management Suite provides managed spam/virus filtering, secure messaging, content and policy enforcement and disaster recovery services to ensure that an enterprise e-mail system always delivers secure and reliable service. Most notably, FrontBridge achieves the lowest rate of false positive incidences, virtually guaranteeing that legitimate e-mail is never flagged as spam.

Louisville Slugger, a premier provider of sporting equipment, has deployed FrontBridge's TrueProtect message management suite with resounding success.

"TrueProtect has exceeded all our expectations in terms of efficiency and accuracy, reducing our spam load by more than 90 percent with not a single known instance of misclassifying legitimate e-mail as spam," said Gary Ward, LAN/WAN manager at Louisville Slugger. "Nearly 63 percent of all e-mail sent to Louisville Slugger is spam. It's not just about spam though. TrueProtect gives us the benefits of blocking attachments that can carry viruses, a deferral service that keeps us from losing e-mail if our server goes down, server storage space savings not having to store blocked e-mails, time savings not having to virus scan the e-mail that got blocked and data traffic bandwidth savings are other fringe benefits. The service barely requires any hands-on involvement from our IT staff -- it simply works as promised."

About FrontBridge Technologies

FrontBridge Technologies Inc. is the enterprise market leader for e-mail security and message management services. The company's TrueProtect(TM) Message Management Suite protects corporations from spam, viruses and malicious e-mail-borne attacks with unmatched security, performance and reliability. FrontBridge offers the industry's most comprehensive service level guarantees, including guaranteed uptime of 99.999 percent and guaranteed message delivery.

Now in its fourth year of operation, FrontBridge manages e-mail security for more than 1,500 enterprises globally and is headquartered in Marina del Rey, Calif. Our technical anti-virus partners include Sophos, Symantec, and Trend Micro. Visit us on the Web at www.FrontBridge.com or call 877-301-8232 or, in the UK, +44.1296.660.736.

TrueProtect is a trademark of FrontBridge Technologies.

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